The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has launched a new campaign, Life Without Out of Home, spotlighting the often-unseen contributions of the Out of Home (OOH) advertising industry to Australia’s public infrastructure and economy.
Developed by creative agency Howatson+Co, the campaign uses a powerful narrative to connect everyday Australians with the infrastructure that surrounds them, bus shelters, public toilets, pedestrian overpasses, and reveals that much of it is funded not by taxpayer dollars, but by the OOH industry.
“People see an ad in a public space, but what they don’t see is how that ad is helping pay for the infrastructure we all rely on, and how much it saves taxpayers.” said OMA CEO Elizabeth McIntyre.
The campaign arrives off the back of a 2024 Deloitte Access Economics report commissioned by the OMA, which quantified the full scope of the industry’s impact. The findings are significant:
An estimated $1.3 billion annual contribution to the Australian economy
Over 21,500 public infrastructure items funded, built or maintained through OOH advertising revenue
More than $650 million in public assets supported by the sector
“It’s not just about ads,” McIntyre added. “It’s about jobs, infrastructure, and creating value that would otherwise come from the public purse. For every dollar of value added by OOH advertising companies, there is more than another dollar of value added across the broader economy.”
The Life Without OOH campaign is especially timely, launched in the lead-up to new advertising restrictions in South Australia, including a ban on occasional food and drink advertising on Adelaide Metro buses, trains, and trams from 1 July, 2025.
Industry leaders are urging policymakers to consider the broader implications of such restrictions, arguing that the social and economic benefits of OOH advertising must be factored into the conversation.